Members of the Purdue community soon will have the opportunity
to attend workshops that will explore the unique needs and concerns of those on
campus who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or queer.

The three-hour workshops are part of the Safe Zone program
housed within Purdue's Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ)
Center. They are the creation of Lowell Kane, the center's director.

Before starting that position in July, Kane was director of
Texas A&M University's Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Resource
Center, which he created and which also employs a Safe Zone program.

"Safe Zone training has existed in higher education since
the early 1990s," Kane says. "For Purdue, it represents a fantastic
way to make campus a more inclusive and affirming environment for all faculty,
staff and students who are members of the LGBTQ community."

The workshops will consist of three components -- a presentation
of LGBTQ history, an explanation of the community's terminology and symbology,
and a discussion about how media portrayals of the gay community might impact
LGBTQ individuals' worldviews.

For example, during this presentation, Kane will share stories
about the history of the pink triangle symbol. The gay community reclaimed it following
World War II, when the Nazis used it to identify men imprisoned in
concentration camps for their homosexuality.

The workshops also will include discussions with LGBTQ student
panelists, followed by a focus on actions participants can take to make campus
a more inclusive and affirming place for everyone.

So far, workshops are scheduled for Oct. 27, Nov. 10 and Nov.
27. They are open to all and registration is required; each workshop is capped
at 25 participants.

To register for an upcoming workshop, go to www.purdue.edu/lgbtq/safezone/attend.
Those interested in attending must register two or more days before their
preferred workshop date.

Kane, who will be leading the workshops, says he plans to hold
them a couple of times each month for a general campus audience and by request
for colleges and departments. He stresses, however, that attending these
workshops always will be optional.

The content of each workshop will change, Kane says, as
dictated by the campus' needs. Therefore, he recommends participants retake
workshops periodically to stay up-to-date on the most current issues facing
campus.

At the end of each workshop, participants will be given the
option to express their commitment to creating an affirming and inclusive
campus by signing a contract stating this. Those who have signed the contract
will become Safe Zone members and will receive a three-inch-by-five-inch
cardstock placard with the program's logo.

The idea, Kane says, is to encourage program members to
display the placard in prominent locations to indicate that their office,
classroom or other space is a safe, supportive place for members of the LGBTQ
community.

"The fact that there is an LGBTQ resource center on
campus -- and the fact that we're starting a Safe Zone program -- makes us very
elite in higher education, because fewer than 7 percent of American colleges
and universities even have such a center," Kane says.

"Our center and the Safe Zone program really put Purdue
in the position to be a change maker in higher education. We can lead the way,
and that is our goal."